


Wish Fulfillment

by wabbitseason



Category: DCU - Comicverse
Genre: Angst, Community: batfic_contest, Earth-2, F/M, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-04-20
Updated: 2009-04-20
Packaged: 2017-10-18 09:36:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/187509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wabbitseason/pseuds/wabbitseason
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Earth-2 Superman's offer is far more tempting than Bruce would like to admit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wish Fulfillment

**Author's Note:**

> Won second place in [](http://batfic-contest.livejournal.com/profile)[**batfic_contest**](http://batfic-contest.livejournal.com/) Challenge 30 Son or Daughter.

It shouldn’t have been that tempting. Bruce didn’t like "maybes" and "could have beens". He preferred hard facts. He dealt with reality not fantasy. He didn’t have time for idle daydreams.

But when that other Superman dangled the tempting possibility in front of his eyes, he almost considered it. He could have his wish -- a chance to start over, a chance at a life outside the Batcave.

The temptation was far greater than Bruce cared to admit. He was so tired. His life had turned into a vicious cycle of fighting the same fights and facing the same foes over and over again. He’d trained to his utmost, but his efforts never seemed enough. He’d taken injuries no human could imagine and still somehow found the strength to keep going. Only watching the destruction caused by his programming and his design had broken that iron will.

No matter how hard he tried Bruce couldn’t shake those images of Earth-2 from his head. Could that gleaming city really have been his Gotham? That was the Gotham of his dreams, the one he'd hoped to build, free of the crime and corruption that plagued the streets.

He shouldn't be thinking about this. He had work. He still had to investigate the destruction of the Watchtower and J'onzz's disappearance. But he couldn’t focus.

He had long ago accepted his life would never be a normal one, filled with a wife and family. He'd sworn to protect Gotham with all he had. That left little room for anything else. If it had meant being alone, then that was the sacrifice.

That other Batman had made the same graveside promise, yet he’d found a way to love and move on. In his mind's eye he saw those newlyweds exiting the church together. If he strained his ears, he could hear Gotham Cathedral's old church bells. Could that happy wedding couple really have been him and Selina? The idea wasn’t as far-fetched as it might have sounded once. But the idyllic fairy tale of "happily ever after" seemed too far away now, too out of his reach.

That Batman had even had a daughter. Dick and Tim were his sons in all but blood, but sometimes he’d wondered what it’d be like to raise a child of his own. Even in those brief images, he could see the resemblance, the same commanding presence and flowing black hair. What had Helena been like? Was she smart and brave and fearless? Did she have her father wrapped around her little finger? Did she have her mother’s smile? Did Bruce envy that Batman his life or his child?

What troubled Bruce was what Superman had left unspoken. What had happened to Dick and Helena when this multiverse collapsed? Had they been killed or had some worse fate befallen them? For all the joy Superman had in his voice when he described his world, there was an unaccountable loss and sadness. And Bruce knew what lengths people would go to in their grief. He knew only too well.

Of course Bruce had thought about it. He wouldn't be human otherwise. But he had also weighed the alternatives. He couldn't just ignore his obligations to his Earth. Nor could he skirt the blame for their current problems either. He couldn't leave his friends behind. He couldn't leave his existing family on this world because he was too tired. However tempting it was to leave his life behind, he had to stay. He owed it to everyone, even that other Batman and his family. Somehow he thought they'd understand.

Being allowed to try again was dangerous. He might make the situation even worse. Bruce couldn’t afford to be wrong.


End file.
